Pot of Gold - New Zealand beaches

Oh my goodness - I wish I remember the name of this beach in the far north of New Zealand - a remote and stunning corner of the earth. It seems to be visited regularly by locals, who cook up the kiamoana (seafood) for the whanau (clan). Though this leaves a clump of rusty iron in a photographic wonderland - I can just imagine the clutter of buckets, the chatter, the sparks creating a glow on friendly faces, the roar of the sea, the gentle wind in the grasses and tickling the sand, and the delicious aromas of freshly cooked food from the sea. And the taste - oh to experience that would be fanatastic!

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Mt Ngauruhoe - New Zealand

Mt Ngauruhoe (Māori: Ngah-oo-roo-haw-eh)is an iconic active volcano set in the center of New Zealand's North Island and part of the Tongariro National Park. It is the perfect cone shaped neighbour of Mt Ruepahu - in fact they share the same magma source below the earth's crust. Ngauruhoe last erupted in 1975, and frequently belches smoke from its enormous crater. There were 45 eruptions in the 20C, and between 1839 and 1975, 70 eruptions were recorded. It has now been quiet for over 30years - the longest time in recorded history. Its neighbour, Mt Ruapehu's has had more recent eruptions, the last occurring 12 years ago in 1996.

If you ever wish for an idyllic spot to ski or hike - choose New Zealand's Tongariro Mountains

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Wellington Boatsheds - New Zealand

See other posts from Wellington - Petone Wharf and Under the Pier

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Ninety Mile Beach - The Top Of New Zealand

I searched Google for information about Ninety Mile Beach but found little that presented this stunning location to my satisfaction. We have travelled to this West Coast Wonder for many a holiday. The raging surf on the west coast is thunderous. It crashes and rumbles, tosses and churns the entire stretch of a beach that disappears miles past the vanishing mists. It is in fact, only 60miles long, and one theory is that missionaries measured this with horses that they estimated could walk for 30miles a day. After 30 days they concluded the trek from the southern point at Ahipara to the northern tip of New Zealand at Cape Reigna was 90miles. They did not however consider the slowing effect of horses walking on sand. This beach, as with many in New Zealand, is a registered road. The road rules for this beach are the same as for a highway. It is great fun to roar along the beach in any car – however many a tragedy has occurred here including car accidents and cars being stuck in the sand when the tide changes. If you want a wild west coast extravaganza - Te Oneroa a Tohe - the long beach of Tohe (Ninety Mile Beach) will give you this and more. Ahipara (more costly) and Waipapakauri (cheaper rougher options) are two areas to chill out and soak up the roar of this ocean.

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New Zealand Rain Drops

Rain drops in the trees. New Zealand is famous for it lush green foliage,
due mostly to the ever present rain clouds.

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New Zealand's Evening Tide

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New Zealand's Golden Kauri Gum

Our house is situated in the middle of a Kauri Grove. The trees are quite young (probably less than 100yrs) however the Kauri tree (Agathis Australis) is a most revered tree in New Zealand and Tana Mahuta, NZ's oldest Kauri tree still stands after 1250years and has a girth of 13.77metres. The high concentration of gum in the Kauri tree has helped to protect this species from infestations, rot and decay, and gives the wood a deep rich shine. The gum helped to preserve the Kauri wood when in past centuries (dating back some millions of years), the land became saturated and many kauri fell into the swamps. Swamp Kauri is still being discovered today and the deep rich red colouring of this wood still retains the gums shine seen in the yellow wood of younger trees. During the late 1800s up to the mid 1900s along with the progress of machinery and technology many kauri trees were decimated for export. It is now however a protected tree, and small groves can be seen cropping up in vegetation that have been left to re-generate.

Kauri Gum weeps from the tree when it is damaged or cut to protect the wood from insects. This gum can form in clumps at the base or beneath the tree and solidifies. The rough flaky exterior of the solidified gum can be chipped off and through a process of chiseling, sanding and polishing the above result can be achieved. This is a clump I purchased 'raw' and I thoroughly enjoy the process, the texture, and the smell as I whittle away the rough edges and create a glowing piece of New Zealand Amber or Kauri Gum.

If you would like to know more about the Kauri Tree and the gum it produces, these are links that I have found informative and interesting.

History of Kauri Gum
Classification of Kauri Gum
The story of the Kauri Tree

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Waipu Cove - New Zealand's Beaches

Waipu - pronouced "Why Poo?" - yeah yeah - but that is obviously not its meaning. Wai is a Maori word means Water, and Pu meaning Song - Water Song. It is an idyllic spot with a long sandy beach stretching along one end, and a discrete cove at the other end. A stream of salty water ambles it's way around the cliff, ducking under the Pohutukawa trees, whose branches tickle the gentle waves. Pohutukawa have a continual love affair with the turbuant waters of the easten oceans of New Zealand. When the tide is out it is great to scramble over the rocks to a private bay of pebbles - their smooth, even shape act to massage your feet in the warmth of the sunshine.

Wikipedia - "Waipu is a small town in Bream Bay, in the Northland Region of New Zealand, with a Scottish heritage. Waipu was the centre of a significant Presbyterian settlement led by Rev. Norman McLeod, a Presbyterian Minister who led his people from the Highlands of Scotland to New Zealand via St. Ann's, Nova Scotia and Australia. Five shiploads of settlers arrived at Waipu in the 1850s. For more details about the original European settlers, see the Rev. Norman McLeod entry.
A highlight of the town's calendar is the annual Highland Games held at New Year."

Check out the links in bold. I won't earn anything, they won't earn anything, but you might earn yourself a little more indepth into the country that is New Zealand.

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New Zealand's Calm Waters

Typical beach on the east coast of New Zealand.





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Welcome Home Flowers

Not really one for flowers even when in hospital (would prefer people spent their money on something useful) - but it was great to come home to our pot plants flourishing and one bursting with flowers.

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